WWE WrestleMania 32 Results: Power Ranking Every Match at PPV
WWE's WrestleMania 32 is a thing of the past, but that has not stopped fans and critics from discussing the in-ring content of Sunday's show.
Some considered the matches that unfolded on the grandest stage in professional wrestling disappointing, never really living up to the hype and circumstance that surrounded them. Others appreciated the hard work of the wrestlers, praising their contributions to an enjoyable show.
And both are correct.
There were some wildly entertaining performances in Arlington, Texas, and some that failed to strike a chord. While there is no such thing as a uniformed opinion in the world of professional wrestling, most can agree the female Superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment stole the show.
But was their classic Triple Threat match the best of the broadcast, or were they unseated by Hell in a Cell, a Street Fight or the night's marquee bout?
Find out now with this look at the matches of WrestleMania 32, ranked from worst to best according to match quality and historical significance (when necessary).
12. The Rock vs. Erick Rowan
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The Rock returned, as advertised, but found himself in an impromptu match with Erick Rowan after coming face-to-face with the dangerous Wyatt Family.
After poking fun at the enigmatic leader of the group, Bray, he stood face-to-face with the massive White Sheep, talking trash and waiting for the bell to ring.
Once it did, Rock caught Rowan swinging a right hand and planted him with a Rock Bottom. A three-count later and he had pinned the imposing Superstar and set the record for the shortest match in WrestleMania history at a grand total of six seconds.
Any match running that short is destined to find itself at the bottom of any list ranking the best matches of the night.
This is no exception, regardless of who is involved.
11. Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
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By general rule of thumb, Battle Royals are typically pretty bad.
A giant mass of Superstars punching and kicking their way through the competition, trying to dispose of them over the top rope, there is hardly room for the development of stories or execution of clever spots, leading to a lethargic and one-dimensional match.
Sunday's Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was a step above most, thanks to the spectacle of Shaquille O'Neal and Big Show squaring off at the onset of the bout, but it was far from what one would consider "good."
With all things considered, the only truly memorable aspect of the bout is the fact NXT's Baron Corbin not only entered it but won, eliminating Kane and jump-starting a potential run on Raw and SmackDown going forward.
Everyone worked hard, and it was nice to see legends Tatanka and Diamond Dallas Page, but this was little more than a nice introduction to The Lone Wolf.
10. The Usos vs. the Dudley Boyz
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The Usos defeated The Dudley Boyz in one of the three WrestleMania Kickoff Show matches.
While the match was energetic and the wrestlers themselves clearly motivated to deliver the best match possible, the lack of story hurt it significantly.
In many ways, it came across as a glorified Raw match, a contest that could have been saved for hour two of SmackDown rather than forced onto an already bloated WrestleMania card.
The Usos scored the win off of a superkick, a move that has seen its effectiveness diminished so much over the last year that it is surprising it took only one to net the pinfall instead of 10 or more.
Neither team was any better or worse off than it was entering the match, the fans in attendance were not particularly excited about the action unfolding before them and the victorious babyfaces received a chorus of boos after the win, making for an inauspicious contest.
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9. The New Day vs. the League of Nations
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While watching the rather bland tag match pitting The New Day's Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods against Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio and Rusev, one could not help but wonder if the real takeaway from the bout was the ridiculously awesome entrance the babyface tag team champions made prior to the bout.
Emerging from a gigantic box of Booty-O's while clad in outfits straight out of Dragon Ball Z, New Day earned a huge reaction as they hit the ring. Unfortunately, the match itself was unable to maintain that excitement and energy, leading to a lackluster finished product.
In retrospect, it does not help that the contest was essentially an excuse to set up Steve Austin, Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels coming to the ring and wiping out The League of Nations.
Lacking the intensity of their previous title bouts, and facing a crowd burnt out after the opening Ladder match and solid Chris Jericho-AJ Styles matches, the contest fell flat.
8. Team Total Divas vs. Team B.A.D. & Blonde
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The 10-Woman Tag Team match pitting Team Total Divas vs. Team B.A.D. & Blonde was not only better than it had any right to be, but it was also downright good.
Each Superstar was properly spotlighted, with Paige playing the role of Ricky Morton, isolated from her team and bumping around for the heels.
The hot tag to Brie Bella late was predictable but did not lead directly to the submission finish. Instead, the competitors took turns landing their signature or, in some cases, finishing maneuvers as the action broke down.
Back in the center of the ring, Bella trapped Naomi in the YES! Lock and forced the tapout, giving her the happy ending to her story.
And, perhaps, her career.
The match had great pacing, was never rushed and proved what the talented female Superstars are capable of when given the opportunity rather than treated like a sideshow.
7. Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon
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Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker will be remembered for being far better than it actually was because of one leap of faith from the top of Hell in a Cell.
That is not to say McMahon's huge bump was not absolutely incredible. It was. He demonstrated his dedication to giving fans what they want, to providing them with a moment they will never forget. A five-minute stretch does not, however, excuse a plodding match.
Overly long at 30 minutes, the bout tried to be epic but instead exposed both guys as past their primes and beyond having the five-star classic they were so desperately attempting.
No, the match was not the epic Undertaker had with Shawn Michaels or the masterclass in sports entertainment Shane had with his father, Vince, at WrestleMania X-Seven.
It was a chore of a match, staged inside what was once considered the most dangerous structure in professional wrestling but Sunday night was merely a platform for McMahon's death-defying jump.
A bad match camouflaged by one of the greatest single spots in the history of the extravaganza, this writer cannot justify ranking it any higher than it is.
6. United States Championship: Kalisto vs. Ryback
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The first match of the night featured some of the best in-ring psychology of the entire broadcast.
Kalisto defended the United States Championship against Ryback on the Kickoff Show. Rather than allowing the half-empty stadium and their position on the card to hurt them, they went to the ring, told their story and did so in what was a very solid wrestling match.
Ryback was the bigger, nastier bully who used his strength advantage to wear his opponent down. Kalisto filled the role of the plucky underdog and fought from underneath. The finish was clever as the champion used his ring awareness to send Ryback face-first into the turnbuckle he had accidentally exposed then lay him out with Salida Del Sol to retain.
The challenger can demand a rematch off of the screwy finish, Kalisto retains and the rivalry lives to see another day.
For a match that had very little heat heading into the show, this was probably the smartest booked match on the entire card.
5. Street Fight: Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar
8 of 12
There was so much anticipation for this match, particularly with the backstage interviews and pretaped vignettes involving Dean Ambrose and hardcore legends Mick Foley and Terry Funk, that anything that did not look like an old school ECW brawl was bound to disappoint.
The Street Fight between the Lunatic Fringe and Brock Lesnar certainly did let fans down, but that does not mean it was not a quality wrestling match.
Ambrose was resilient and resourceful, fighting through the pain and constantly introducing a weapon in hopes of slowing Lesnar. But he could not, and therein lies the story of the match.
Lesnar was an unstoppable machine, a beast of a man who endured low blows, kendo stick shots and steel-chair assaults, only to come back and toss Ambrose with a suplex as if he were a rag doll. Nothing Ambrose could do affected the former WWE champion for any substantial period, meaning he was free to dish out more punishment to the Lunatic Fringe.
The finish may have been anticlimactic, and it the match itself may not have been quite the valiant effort from Ambrose fans had hoped it would be, but it did feature quality storytelling.
The booking was the big issue, with Ambrose being treated as an also-ran rather than established as a main event star. That certainly factors into the quality of the bout but is not enough to lower it in these rankings.
4. WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Triple H
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The idea of Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania may not have endeared WWE to fans, nor did his eventual victory over Triple H for the world heavyweight title, but that does not mean the match that preceded the inevitable was bad.
Triple H proved his Cerebral Assassin moniker correct, targeting the left arm of his opponent and systematically picking it apart. He worked it over, hoping to eliminate some of the power The Big Dog thrives on.
But it was not enough to put him down. When his wrestling expertise did not work, he relied on wife Stephanie to interfere on his behalf. Then she was nearly speared out of her boots by the challenger, and The Game was left with one last resort: his trusty sledgehammer.
Triple H threw everything he could at the second-generation star, but Reigns withstood them, delivered a couple of Superman Punches and finished the future Hall of Famer with the spear.
Take away the intense anti-Reigns sentiment, and you have a match that was good, solid wrestling that brought an end to the old guard and elevated the next face of WWE to the top of the WWE mountain.
Wrestling 101, folks.
3. AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho
10 of 12
Even as good as AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho may have been, one still cannot help but be disappointed by the finished product the Superstars produced at WrestleMania.
Frustration was the theme of the match as Jericho felt it early, finding himself on the receiving end of a springboard dropkick that he popularized, then having his Codebreaker finisher kicked out of on first attempt. Just when it looked like he may snap and lose control, he was able to shoot his shoulder off the mat, kicking out of the Styles Clash, returning the favor.
Soon, Styles understood what his opponent was feeling, every one of his signature maneuvers going ineffective in his attempt to defeat Jericho one last time.
His emotions taking over, Styles allowed a distraction to keep him from Jericho to slow him just enough for Y2J to catch him in midair with the Codebreaker and score the improbable win.
The match should have been better than it was, but to suggest it was somehow unworthy of its placement on this list just because it disappointed ever so slightly would be a mistake.
Now, if one wanted to dock it a few points because of Jericho's nonsensical victory, then we can talk.
2. Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship
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The Ladder match that kicked off the broadcast set the tone for the rest of the show. It was wild, chaotic, jam-packed with action and, at times, ridiculously over-the-top. Still, the efforts of all seven men helped make it one of the best matches of the entire show.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens provided the story, exchanging intense forearms from the start. It was hardly the only time they would come to blows, though. Moments later, Zayn launched himself through the ring ropes and delivered a stunning DDT to his former friend. Owens responded, thumbing the eye of his opponent and keeping him from achieving victory.
The final blow, though, was a nasty suplex from Zayn to Owens, onto a Ladder, that left the champion down and out.
The Miz would eliminate Zayn from the equation, only for his hubris to get the best of him as Zack Ryder came from out of nowhere to dump him off the ladder and retrieve the WWE Intercontinental Championship, and achieve his WrestleMania moment.
The match featured jaw-dropping bumps, incredible spots and an underlining story, all factors of a quality Ladder match on the grand stage.
1. Triple Threat Match for the WWE Women's Championship
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Sunday night, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte took to the squared circle for the biggest match of their lives. Pressure was high, the spotlight bright and doubters were ready to jump at the opportunity to criticize them when they failed to live up to expectations.
Except, they did not.
The Superstars delivered performances of a lifetime, particular Sasha Banks, who channeled idol Eddie Guerrero in both her ring game and her appearance.
Fan-favorite Triple Threat spots, like the electric chair and tower of doom, popped the crowd while Banks' dive through the ropes was phenomenal. Lynch, to her credit, wiped out Ric Flair with a dive of her own. No matter how hard those two women fought to achieve greatness and capture the women's title, it was Charlotte who benefited from interference by her father to retain the title.
On a night when their faces were plastered all over marketing and merchandise materials, their images front and center on the front of AT&T Stadium, three of the most talented wrestlers in all of WWE rose to the occasion and proved the revolution they have spoken of is in full effect.
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